Healthy Physical Habits *5

 

Peaceful & Purposeful LIFE

 

Healthy living is a concept that we see everywhere. What we put in our bodies, on our bodies, and how we move our bodies are in nearly every ad that comes into our view throughout the day. Some that encourage us to do and take in things that are truly beneficial. And a lot more that are quick fixes, cheats, hacks, and loop-hole finders, which are the you get what you pay for options.

Because we are a society that has long thrown patience out the window and must have everything on demand, the most appealing options for health and wellness tend to be those we can get quickly, do quickly, and for which we see results quickly. But who can be surprised by this considering the level of convenience to which we have grown accustomed. The drive-through was once the break-through idea to get our meals faster. Because walking inside and getting something to go was taking too long? Then other businesses put in drive-through windows, so we could run errands in a fraction of the time. We could pick up our prescriptions and dry cleaning, then make a deposit at the bank and grab dinner all without getting out of our car. How convenient!

                               

Fast forward to the Amazon/Door Dash/Uber Era. Order everything you can imagine, and it is all delivered to your door. Forget leaving your car. Now we don’t even have to leave our houses and we can have groceries, Chick-fil-a, diapers, coffee, makeup, dog food, tennis balls…literally anything brought to the porch in a matter of minutes!

With our every demand being granted nearly instantaneously, it is natural that we have been seeing this trend in the medical field as well. For years patients have come into the hospital to be treated for something that most likely could have been prevented and they could prevent from happening again with a change in their diet and activity. But changing a lifestyle is not nearly as desirable as taking a medication or having a surgery. Quick fixes.

Did you know that in the U.S. the Diet and Weight Loss Market in 2023 was estimated to be around $90 billion? That is according to MarketResearch.com. Much of this was due to the rise in sales of weight loss drugs, commercial weight loss chains (like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig), meal replacement and appetite suppressant products, and bariatric services.

Which brings me back to the commercials we see every day.

Pharmaceutical companies tell us we need their latest pill (or lately I have even seen an injection- yikes) to help us lose weight or get that figure we want with little to no effort on our part. Cosmetic companies tell us we don’t want to look old or homely, so we need their product, because we are worth it. Images on the screen convince us that we are not what we could be or should be and we need their product to get us closer to that goal. We have at our fingertips anything that can alter or appear to alter our natural appearance.

                                    

As Christians, we can get caught up in how we look just as much as anyone. Especially, if we are always looking at ourselves in pictures and mirrors. It seems like the more we see ourselves, the more we find to critique. Which can be damaging in more ways than one. Not only can we get swept up in a destructive vortex of the never-ending discontented self-image the world has us believe, but we can also forget that we are uniquely and beautifully created by the One who makes no mistakes.

Let me say that again. You were uniquely and beautifully created by the One who makes no mistakes! You are beautiful.

So don’t listen to the videos, commercials, and shows that all have a different message, which is probably self-serving propaganda designed to entice you to buy their products anyway. Listen to your Father who intentionally made you amazing.

‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’  Psalms 139:13-14

‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’ Ecclesiastes 3:11

‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ Genesis 1:27

 

Hopefully, you are feeling encouraged, knowing that our Father beautifully and wonderfully designed you in His image. For the only opinion that matters is that of our Creator and ‘God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.’ (Genesis 1:31)

That is not to say that we do not need to take care of the bodies we are given. On the contrary! For those of us who have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus, we are to honor God by taking care of our bodies. Our bodies are temples to the Holy Spirit, who is in us. (1Corinthians 6:19-20)

But unlike our culture of quick fixes and easy solutions, honoring our bodies requires careful attention. No shortcuts. We have to be intentional with what we do and don’t do to treat our bodies as temples.

 

What are ways we honor God by treating our bodies as a temple?

 

1) We do no harm to our bodies.

Like a holy temple, we keep it protected and do not do anything to intentionally damage or harm. I say intentionally because I don’t know about you, but I am rather accident prone and clumsy. On more than one occasion I have fallen on flat surfaces or run into stationary objects that have resulted in injury. I think we have all been there to some degree. This is more to say that we should not purposefully cause injury- externally or internally.

Part of that is that we are mindful of mental health. How much of the day are we inundated with negativity? That could be too many videos or posts, music, or shows/movies with messages and/or language that is, for lack of a better descriptor, just sinful. What goes in through our eyes and our ears can be just as harmful as what we ingest. I’m not one to watch the news regularly, and there is a good reason for that. I find that watching the news or scrolling on social media incites anxious and stressful responses in me. While there are good stories and pictures that are shared on these platforms, I am also aware that there’s a lot that is not good. For my own peace of mind, I have made the decision to be more mindful of how much time I spend watching and listening to these. I do not want to be like the frog in the boiling pot- unaware of the effect of the content I am taking in until it has consumed me.

                             

2) We are mindful of what we eat and drink.

Our bodies were designed to run on fuel from food. What we put into our bodies matters. Studies have shown the harmful effects of processed foods, genetically modified ingredients, alcohols, and sugars. Our bodies were not made to eat these things and they react accordingly. When foreign, unhealthy substances enter the body, they are essentially attacking and causing harm to it. This can result in conditions such as stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, dental caries, gall bladder disease, anemia, weight gain, inflammation, and even certain cancers.

I know it is easy to say avoid these foods or cut them out of your diet entirely. But realistically, these are the more convenient, grab and go, and let’s be honest tastier food choices. I get it. Trust me. As a major sweets fanatic, I honestly know how hard it is to cut these out completely. So, my goal each day is to avoid the junk food and sweets as much as possible and instead eat fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish, nuts, whole grains, lentils, and homemade meals with healthy ingredients. Drinking plenty of water is also important- this helps hydrate and flush out toxins. Teas and coffees also have health benefits, but just be mindful of caffeine content.

 

3)We stay active.

Staying active does not mean running a marathon or even a 5k a day. It just means keeping your body moving every day. Stagnant bodies are troubled bodies. Have you heard the expression ‘if you don’t use it, you lose it?’ Bodies that sit around all day have poor circulation and movement which can lead to issues associated with blood pressure, metabolism, cardiovascular disease, blood sugar regulation-diabetes, and other serious health conditions. Not to mention the aches, stiffness, headaches, and overall sluggishness that comes with a sedentary lifestyle.

However, standing and walking around the house or office, getting those steps in, gets everything working more efficiently. You know what your body can handle. So start slow and work your way up to more moderate activity. A goal of about 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each day has been shown beneficial for weight loss, keeping weight off, and an increase in overall health.

 

Moderate physical activity examples are: brisk walking, hiking, gardening, housework, water aerobics, biking, and dancing.

Vigorous physical activity examples are: running, walking up hill, fast biking, shoveling snow, raking, and competitive sports (Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Tennis, Pickleball).

 

4) We get plenty of rest.

According to the CDC, adults 18 years of age and older should get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Health.harvard.edu notes that it is a general rule for most healthy adults to get at least 7 hours a night. But that it does vary per individual- some require more, some less.

What it means is that we need to look at the quality of our sleep. Did you go right to sleep? Did you sleep through the night? Did you wake up several times? It’s not so much that you need to worry about how many hours you slept, as it is that you wake up feeling refreshed and energized for the day.

Some ways of improving the quality of your sleep:

• Set consistent times to go to bed and wake up.
• Try to be off all electronics/screens at least an hour before you go to sleep.
• Avoid eating large amounts, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
• Create a sleep conducive environment by making the room dark, quiet, and a comfortable temperature.

Quality sleep is essential for your brain and body to shut down and recharge. Lack of sleep can result in foggy brain and focus issues, slower reflexes, weight gain, infection, delayed healing, mood and mental health disorders, general decline in health and wellness.

Whereas benefits of good sleep include healthy hormone function, higher level of cognitive function, stronger immune system, and overall positive mental health.

                                  

Think of our bodies as Ferraris. Would you even think about putting a cheap, inferior oil in it? Why? Because you value it too much to risk ruining the engine. No, to have it run at top performance, you put only the best into it. With this same esteem, you would be sure to keep the inside and outside of the car spotless; drive it regularly but never overuse it; and be sure to store it somewhere safe and probably temperature controlled.

How much more should we be mindful of how God designed our bodies to work best? By caring for our bodies with the intention and precision as we would a Ferrari, we are honoring our Father.

 

Peaceful & Purposeful LIFE (Live Intentionally For Eternity)

 

‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’     -2 Corinthians 4:19

 

‘Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.’      -John 17:3